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Top 10 autonomous truck companies: Powering into the future

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Autonomous trucks are one of the most exciting developments in any automotive category, in our opinion. The main reason we think this is because we can’t see autonomous cars being given permission by governments to operate freely on public roads.

Autonomous trucks, meanwhile, have already racked up many years of happy operating in the mining sector – and that is likely to grow, and maybe encompass moving non-mining materials and goods as well. This might need tweaks such as driving at night on lonely highways, but that’s not a problem if you’re not human, of course.

Whether you compare them to other segments or not, autonomous trucks are at the forefront of technological advancements in transportation. These vehicles are designed to navigate and operate without human intervention, and represent a paradigm shift in logistics, freight, and commercial transportation.

The journey toward autonomous trucking began with prototypes and pilot tests that challenged the boundaries of innovation.

The first autonomous truck to make headlines in this recent era – let’s say the past 10 to 15 years – was a prototype developed by Daimler Trucks, which successfully completed a public road test in Nevada in 2015. This milestone marked the start of widespread interest and investment in autonomous truck technology. [Read more…] about Top 10 autonomous truck companies: Powering into the future

TuSimple to operate nation’s first autonomous trucking route between Tucson and Phoenix

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TuSimple, an autonomous driving technology company, says that the Union Pacific Railroad, the largest Class I railroad in the US, will become the first customer to move freight on TuSimple’s fully-automated trucking route between the Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona metro areas.

Union Pacific is leveraging Loup Logistics, a wholly-owned subsidiary, to coordinate the freight shipment and support seamless movement between rail and the critical first and last mile.

Starting this spring, TuSimple plans to carry Driver Out freight for Union Pacific, utilizing groundbreaking autonomous vehicle technology to deliver goods to their destination faster and more cost-effectively. [Read more…] about TuSimple to operate nation’s first autonomous trucking route between Tucson and Phoenix

Driverless truck company TuSimple files for listing on Nasdaq

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TuSimple, a self-driving truck company, has filed a registration statement on Form S-1 with the US Securities and Exchange Commission relating to a proposed initial public offering of shares of its Class A common stock.

The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the proposed offering have not yet been determined. TuSimple intends to list its common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol “TSP”. Morgan Stanley, Citigroup and JP Morgan will act as lead book-running managers for the proposed offering. [Read more…] about Driverless truck company TuSimple files for listing on Nasdaq

TuSimple raises $215 million in ‘oversubscribed’ Series D funding round

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Autonomous haulage truck developer TuSimple has raised $215 million in its Series D funding round.

TuSimple says the new funds are “part of an extended Series D round that was oversubscribed and reached a total of $215 million”.

The round includes previously announced investor UPS, the global logistics company. [Read more…] about TuSimple raises $215 million in ‘oversubscribed’ Series D funding round

UPS invests in and already making deliveries with autonomous trucking company TuSimple

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Logistics giant UPS has invested in autonomous trucking startup TuSimple, and has already made some deliveries with driverless vehicles.

UPS says its venture capital arm, UPS Ventures, has made a minority investment in autonomous driving company TuSimple.

Together, both companies are testing self-driving tractor-trailers on a route in Arizona to determine whether the vehicles can improve service and efficiency in the UPS network. [Read more…] about UPS invests in and already making deliveries with autonomous trucking company TuSimple

US Postal Service testing driverless trucks from TuSimple

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The US Postal Service is testing driverless trucks from TuSimple in a two-week pilot program.

TuSimple, a self-driving truck company, says the USPS has awarded it a contract to perform five round trips during the trial, hauling USPS trailers more than 1,000 miles between the Postal Service’s Phoenix, Arizona and Dallas, Texas distribution centers.

The truck will have a safety engineer and driver on board for the duration of the pilot to monitor vehicle performance and to ensure public safety. [Read more…] about US Postal Service testing driverless trucks from TuSimple

TuSimple to launch autonomous truck for port logistics

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A startup company called TuSimple is said to be ready to launch its autonomous truck for logistics operations at seaports in China. (See video below.)

This is according to a report in the South China Morning Post, which says the company is in talks with 10 ports in the country and is just a couple of months away from rolling out is first driverless truck at one of those ports, possibly more.

The company has already conducted debut trials at the National Intelligent Connected Vehicle Pilot Zone in Shanghai, where the port is the second-busiest in the world.

TuSimple is a Chinese company with big-name investors in the US, including chipmaker Nvidia.  [Read more…] about TuSimple to launch autonomous truck for port logistics